Fouquet of the Crumbling Earth

Frustration was building in the mind of the thief Fouquet. It had been several minutes that she had been banging upon the walls of the Tower of Void, and still her unwitting accomplice had yet to find her. It was a gamble, she knew, but that was why she had magic channeling through the raging golem to deep underground. If anyone but the young Valliere girl appeared, she would make her escape quickly as her construct fought. *Where is that little brat?* she thought. *I would have thought they'd throw that useless familiar of hers offstage before I had to alert the whole academy of my presence.* As the golem raged, and she became more paranoid, continually checking either side for a sign of pink hair.

"That's what we're going with!?" shouted a familiar, and to Forquet, welcoming voice.

*It seems my players have arrived,* she grinned.

They needed a plan, that was obvious. This was not however, what Louise wanted to do. After being shushed by Kamvex, she had to ask again, "Why do I need to look like a fool? If I have the ability to just destroy the golem, why not do it right from the start?"

Kamvex looked up at the large creature and narrowed his eyes. Fouquet must be on the other side of the head. Sighing, he began to explain, "Think about it, Louise. This is supposedly a master thief. One of the two best things a thief can do, is get away from the crime. We need to box them in if we're to get the upper hand."

"So why am I purposefully giving an incorrect incantation and blowing a hole exactly where they want to go?"

The familiar gave her a deadpan stare before shaking it off, reminding himself that she was a novice in all this. "If she can't get into the Tower, it stands to reason she can't get out of the tower, other than the open window we make. So I'll go in after her, stop her, and you blow up the golem for good measure."

"So why am I giving a wrong incantation to let them into the Tower?" she asked. "If that even works."

"Do you remember what I said before we confronted Mott?" He asked as he brought his artificial arm up and opened up the Chamber.

Louise looked a bit off from that before pondering. Then it hit her, "Appearance is everything," she said. "You made yourself look less threatening to throw him off."

"Correct. So, what are we doing here?" He asks while looking over a hologram of a longarm.

"We're making them believe I'm still a hopeless mage." While she didn't like the answer, she understood it. "If they truly have been at the academy for a while, then they know my reputation..."

"And?" The Chamber is activated and the rifle-like weapon begins to materialize.

She let out a breath through her nose, "We can use that against them. Not many people actually think I did anything at Mott's so neither should the thief."

Kamvex smirks, holding up the white weapon. "Now you're thinking." He looks down the scope as the familiar feeling of the runes activating washes over him. "Alright, that works too." Sliding a small grip with his left hand allowed the rectangular box of a weapon to open up, revealing a large blue coil in the center. "And we've still got some shots left, good. I'll need to check my other weapons soon."

Louise looked over the strange weapon with a questioning glance. "Why not just use Derflinger, or your fire pistol?"

"Yeah, what gives partner?"

Kamvex pursed his lips in a thin line before closing up the weapon and putting a hand in one of his inner pockets, searching for something. "I want to end this with little to no bloodshed. This is a Pulsecaster, designed to take targets alive."

"How does it do that?"

"Blast of electricity of around fifty-thousand volts," He started while moving to another pocket. "Should stun them enough to drop their wand immediately, along with whatever they've decided to steal."

"That... seems excessive."

"Heheh. Nah, not really. It might tickle me now, due to everything I've experienced. Anyone around here though?" He smirked, "Definitely be a shock." Finally he found what he was looking for as Louise scoffed ("You're incorrigible."). "Here we go. Gimme your left hand Louise."

"Huh? Okay..." She lifted her hand to his and her partner slipped a dual ring onto her middle and ring fingers. The ring was smooth to her skin, if a bit loose. Over her fingers were two small ruby points over a hexagonal setting that was the connector of the rings. "What is this?"

"A barrier shield," he answered "I can't just leave you defenseless again, even if it did work out last time." He then closed his eyes a moment before something bulged around his left shoulder, and he placed the new weapon upon it. "Just squeeze if that thing tries to attack you, and it should buy you about thirty seconds."

Louise nodded, "thirty seconds. Got it. I'll blow that thing away in that time then." She looked Kamvex up and down. "You ready now?"

An affirmative nod was all she needed before she began to step into the courtyard. When they did however, they found the golem turned to face them.

"Well, I was wondering who would be so careless as to walk toward danger," Fouquet asked from high above. "But it seems to be just the failing Valliere and the commoner familiar I've heard so much about."

"I don't know that I'd say she's failing at much..." Kamvex muttered, making a show to grab Derf's hilt.

"Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt," Louise exclaimed. "In the name of Her Majesty, the Princess of Tristain, you are ordered to stand down and come quietly!" At this, the thief began to cackle, causing Louise to turn red with anger. "You believe I'm joking?"

"Hahahahaa~! No, little mage. I believe you yourself are the joke." The thief taunted. "You may have been lucky when it came to Count Mott, but if you get in my way, I assure you, your luck will end."

The pinkette growled before leveling her wand at the thief. "You will regret this slight."

"Louise." Kamvex hissed, but a pointed look from the girl told him what he needed to know as she began chanting. He smirked slightly, trailing his left arm down to the equipment he'd soon need.

"FIREBALL!"

For a moment, nothing happened. Until an explosion sounded behind the golem, almost knocking its rider off. Plan or no plan, Louise felt good about throwing her opponent off. This was, until the smoke cleared. The The tower itself had a decent hole in it, kicked up dust pouring out. The force wall itself was cracking more and more, and wouldn't need much to shatter it.

Kamvex stared up at the damage and just gave her a deadpan stare. "Overkill much?"

"Shut up! It was just a small mistake!"

"Whatever you say," he smirked. Then, he moved with the golem. As the giant rock fist crashed through the failing barrier and opened wall of the Tower fully, the adventurer grabbed and shot his Grappler, nailing the interior of the room Fouquet slipped into. "Wish me luck," he shouted as he zipped up.

"Like you need an-" she started, before things started going wrong. The golem's eyes turned to the two as Kamvex began soaring toward it. As though swatting a fly, the behemoth brought it's other hand up, slamming it into Kamvex, his grip loosening before he was sent flying. "Kamvex!" screamed the pinkette as her partner vanished from view. The golem after a moment, then turned fully toward the girl and reached out to grab her. Eyes widening, she threw her left hand out an clenched it into a fist, before a bright barrier appeared before her, the monstrous hand being repelled by it.

*He's still protecting me...* She thought. *He has to have more up his sleeve. So I'll leave his job to him. and I...*

She began to chant. "Eoru... Sunu... Firu... Yarunsaksa...

"WHOA!" the captain shouted as he went flying. Of course he didn't account for this. He figured that the monster would just stand there. Of course his dumb fuzzy brain would think that. What was it that Karrikta and Faerin taught him? 'The plan never survives the first bullet' and 'Always assume the worst possible outcome.'

*I'm too tired to think of this bullshit...*

"Partner, you got a landing strategy?" Derf asked, clinking away on his back.

"Not one I wanted to use, but it'll work," he responded. Righting himself in the air, Kamvex willed his suit to life. With but a thought, the bottom of his soles ignited in a blue glow, which also emanated from the inside of his coat sleeves and back, and steadied him as he turned his eye to the golem. Noticing it starting to turn away from him and toward Louise, he nearly ditched the plan to save her before the light of the barrier he gave her activated. "That'a girl." Knowing she'd be safe, he flew into the Tower of Void to confront Fouquet.

Landing in the room, Kamvex quickly pulled the pulsecaster off his back. "Ding ding. Who and what do we have here?" He was tiring quicker than he thought. The adrenaline was starting to wear him down. *Well, if there's one thing I have that'll keep me up, it's my own voice,* he thought. Placing two fingers to his headband had it begin to transform into his helm, the front clearing to still be visible. "Activate Thermal Vision." Suddenly his vision changed, and scanning the room brought him to his immediate target in the back.

"C'mon out of there, Fouquet," he said. "There's no hiding from me. I've got you right in my sights."

"No thank you Mister Familiar," came their reply, clearly female in voice and body shape. "Why come out and give myself up? You know what they'll do to me don't you?"

"Few years in prison, maybe a decade?"

"Hmhmhmm. Naive boy, you must come from another world to believe that." He couldn't tell from the overlapping heat, but there was some movement around the chest. "Besides, why bother coming out now, when I can wait to crush you first?"

"Nothing for you to really work with in here, lady."

Kamvex could feel the smirk on her chuckling lips. "Dear boy, who said anything about something in here?" Eyes widening, he turned to see the golem still standing and reaching for him. What happened to-

"EXPLOSION!"

The rock monster sputtered in place and magic overloaded it from the inside, before going up in a brilliant display of dirt and smoke, the cacophonous noise echoing throughout the courtyard. In the smoke, the captain saw movement. With the quickness of a master thief, Fouquet bolted for the opening to escape. With lightning-like reflexes, he snapped the longarm to her form and puled the trigger twice. Energy crackles from the coil before launching at the escaping woman, and striking true. She lets out a shriek of pain, her whole body stiffening up and falling flat to the ground, her wand and stolen package flying out the window.

"Perfect timing, Louise." A smirk on his face, Kamvex deactivates the thermal vision before going to check on the locked up mage. Pulling back the hood revealed to him Miss Longuevuille. "Ahh. Madam Secretary? They not paying you enough for this gig?"

"W-w-what... did-d you... do to me..?" She asked in pain, unable to get her body under control.

"Sorry about that. Tired plus these runes giving me a hyper trigger finger, I fired twice," he started. "Neuromuscular incapacitation; The fine control from your brain to your body is screwed up for the moment. The second shot induced the pain." Keeping the pulsecaster in hand, he went and retrieved his grappler that was hanging from the ceiling entrance. There, he looked out to see Louise, as well as the remains of the earth golem, only the feet still somewhat intact. He signed gratefully at the sight of Louise standing tall amidst the destruction. "Nice shot Louise!"

She looked up to see him alright. "Kamvex! You're ok!"

"Yup! Be down in a sec. Can you grab what Fouquet dropped?" The pinkette took a look around before nodding. The adventurer turned back to his slowly recovering prisoner. "Alrighty, Miss Secretary. Time to go." Taking the black shawl from around her, he brought her hands behind the back and tied them together before lifting her up. "And now we go for a chat." Activating the forcepack again, Kamvex descends from the ruined tower to in front of Louise, who held a long case in her arms.

"I have... several questions Kamvex..." she started as he came closer. "The first bei- Is that Miss Longuevuille?"

"Yep. She's our inside man."

Louise took a moment to compose herself before sighing. "Alright. What do we do then?"

"Go grab the guards and let Henrietta know everything is taken care of." He put the stunned Longueville down and sat down next to her. "The energy and adrenaline is wearing off, so I'm gonna stay here and hopefully stay awake." She nodded and ran off to find everyone else, leaving the case with Kamvex so it wouldn't wear her down. He watched her leave before turning his attention back to Longueville.

"So... why do it...?"

AN: I think that's where I'll leave things for now. Hopefully this was satisfying in some way, despite being a shorter chapter. Not super happy with this, but... eh. Lot's of chatting next time.

See ya later!